Military veteran rescued a dog, writes a touching letter to dog years later

Susannah Wollman

Contributing Writer

K9sForWarriors

PTSD is real. Traumatic events affect an estimated 70 percent of adults in the United States. Up to 20 percent of these people go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder. The incidence of PTSD in military personnel is even higher. At least 20% of military who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from PSTD. And depression is so deep it sometimes leads to suicide.

That’s where this veteran found himself when he returned from the war. He was so depressed he thought of ending his life. Then he met Captain. And according to the letter he wrote to his canine savior, his life changed.

“Dear Captain,” the letter reads, “I can trace the moment when everything changed. When something snapped.” Randy goes on to described where he was and what he was doing. He tells Captain about how hard it was in Iraq, where he was serving as a medic. His unit got hit with an IED. The roadside bomb was devastating, and left the medic unprepared to live back home.

“I was a prisoner in my own home,” he admitted. He was plagued by nightmares and took 14 different medications a day. But the meds only made things worse. “And then,” he said with a tremor in his voice, “I met you.”

Captain did so much for Randy. He became his backbone when he needed hstrength and steadiness to stand. He was the medic’s motivation when all he wanted to do was remain in bed and just be left alone. With Captain beside him, the bad dreams went away.

Captain is one of many dogs who are there to help veterans who have survived one war only to find another in his own hometown. And you can help. After you watch this video, show it to your friends. Then contact K9s for Warriors. You just may save two lives!